Many defensive coordinators have lost many nights of sleep trying to come up with a defensive counter to the triple option game. Some have had varying degrees of success defending it while others were just plainly overwhelmed and became just another victim of this great offensive scheme. One of the more popular ways that defenses have been playing the triple is by sending a boatload of different defensive stunts and blitzes in an effort to both confuse and intimidate the option QB into making the wrong reads on predetermined defenders. Just like in a good chess game when both sides have their own counters to whatever their opponent might throw at them, so too do we at Mansfield University have our own ways to offset certain defensive tactics which we hope will, in the end, put our offense back on the right track.
Blood Stunt
The Blood stunt or “Hot Stunt” occurs when the defense decides to test the nerves of your QB. What happens is both the dive and pitch key defenders attack the QB/B-back mesh point NOW (see Diagram)! There is no hesitation as these two defenders sell out in order to try and cause a fumble in the backfield. If your QB cannot handle this added pressure, it can be a very long day for your offense. Our counter to the Blood stunt is once again very simple: QB recognition of the stunt itself. Prior to the snap of the ball, we have our QB take notice on the exact location of both #1 and #2 (unblocked dive and pitch keys). If those two keys are side by side on the line of scrimmage, the QB now knows that a possible Blood stunt may be in the works. Remember that “knowledge is power” so if your QB is able to recognize the possibility of this stunt coming, he will be able to handle it. If, after the snap of the ball, a Blood stunt is not in the works, then the QB simply makes his reads like he normally would. If, on the other hand, this Hot Stunt is coming at him, the QB is simply taught to abort his mesh with the B-back prematurely and prepare to pitch that ball quickly to the orbiting pitch back (back side A-back). Make no mistake about it; the QB will have to decide extremely quick that this stunt is unfolding so it is imperative that he disengages the mesh with the B-back and quickly flicks the ball to the A-back. The upside for our offense if this stunt is indeed sent, is that if the QB successfully gets that all important pitch out to his pitch back, we have successfully eliminated two defenders from the play without even having to block them! As a result, the ball is now in the hands of one of your best athletes on the perimeter with a plethora of blockers.